Minecraft redstone powered rails question.

Ok I figured out that you have to put in a switch and flip it to get the rails to light up in minecraft, but there is a problem.. I want the minecart to transport my character. I jump into the Minecart, and then flip the switch, but the minecart does not go.. Also whenever I have a separation between the redstone powered rails and a wooden track "for making turns and bends etc" I next use a powered rail, but that powered rail has no power. Is anyone here experienced with inecraft enough to help me figure this out? Please.. What do I need to do? I know that in order to get the mine cart to move on it's own I need to put in powered rails every so often, but with no power going to them I can not do this.. I even tried using a redstone wire between the tracks, but nothing worked so far. Please please help!! I want to use the Minecart and tracks as transportation around this huge minecraft world.. hard to do that when you are a noob and don't know how to power the cart.. :-(

for the turn part try a presser plate rail for corners

A redstone torch above or below the rail powers it as well. Rails that are unpowered stop the cart. To make rails carry power to other booster rails they must be directly connected. To start a cart using just powered rails the cart has to be on a hill facing down the way you want to go before applying power to the cart

I don't think it has to be on a hill, just a block behind the cart. The cart has to be all the way against the block as well.

The track pushes the cart whatever way the car is moving. You could do it on a flat surface but you have to push the cart

I think Trunks meant to start the cart. With like a button, just put the cart in front of a block and it will move the opposite direction (of the block) when powered.

lol I got smarter.. (Sorry this post is going to be long)
Ok I figured this out from searching all over the internet and forums etc.. So I am going to post my discovery on here so that other noobs who will undoubtedly have the same question will hopefully not have to do quite so much searching as I had to.. lol here goes!

I learned first of all that in order to launch the minecart you need these things in this order A block, 2 sections of yellow and red rail, a regular rail set next to another block with a button on it, a plate rail, and the rest can be alternations of yellow and red rails and plates.. The plates do not work on the way up a hill, so if you want to have a steep hill climb, you have got to use redstone torches which will keep the rails powered up constantly.. at the end of the line when you want the minecar to stop, you need to do the exact reverse of the start, "last powered rail, then plate, then regular rail next to block (with or without button, depending on whether you want to launch in the opposite direction from that station..) Otherwise one of 2 things will happen.. if there is a block at the end of the rail the Minecar will hit the block and start in the opposite direction, or if the end of the rail is open the minecar will just go off the tracks.. BTW also On turns you have to either use a redstone torch to power the next track or you can do this (last powered rail before turn, Plate sensor, Regular rail, plate sensor next powered rail.. Another thing.. in general a Powered rail which is lit up will speed up and move along the Minecar in whatever direction it is moving, but a Darkened rail which has no power will slow down the minecar to a stop.. This is another reason why I use the buttons, because they turn on when you push them, but unlike levers they will reset theselves to off after a second or so giving you just enough time to power past the regular rail (which breaks the power on the return path from the plate) and allows you to hit that plate and be on down the line.. Since there will probably be other people who have this question I hope they will find this thread and it will help them out.. Now if I can just figure out how to use a redstone repeater.. I am an electrician and I suspect it is almost like some kind of relay, but I don't know.. To research I go!! Hi ho hi ho!!

we had powered mine carts before there was red dust. You can make a square with rails and glitch two box cars to collide and spin around that box indefinatly. Then you rol a cart past that point and pick up its momentum. Really only worked for strait lines and if you stoped half way buy getting out or hitting something you had to walk or creat another set of glitched carts.

Actually Bob you could create a booster by placing a parallel track that contained a minecart. It was a pretty simple setup but I don't think it works anymore

Never heard of this game but just looked it up. You guys playing the free version?